Caffeine Buzz: First Look at Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch came out last month, and ever since the announcement video I was really excited and eager to get one. Unfortunately I was unable to get one on the release date, but over the weekend I finally did, and I thought I’d give a little review on it, so here it is:

Cost

So for the console alone, I paid £280, which is roughly (at the time of writing this) 330€ or $350. To be honest, I thought the price was okay. I was expecting to pay this amount based on the release video, and I feel like what we’ve got for that price isn’t too bad, whilst still being a little bit cheaper than the Xbox Scorpio, which is estimated to cost between £500 and £600 on release.

I will rate the Switch at 3.5 / 5 for price based on what you get for the money, the cheapness compared to other consoles, and meeting the expected price.

Aesthetics

In terms of how the product looks and feels, it really has impressed me. There is nothing quite as satisfying as placing the handheld device into the dock, and it instantly pinging over to the TV. It’s a really nice to have feature, and this obviously works in reverse also.

The joycon controllers themselves are surprisingly nice to hold, even when on their side for multiplayer, which was something I was concerned about due to their size. When using two joycon controllers, it feels quite similar to holding the Wii-mote with a Nun-chuck, except as they aren’t linked with a cable you have more freedom to move.

I will rate the Switch at 4.5/5 for aesthetics, because it genuinely does feel nice to use.

Ergonomics

It’s really comfortable. I’ve so far clocked about 15 hours on Zelda, including sitting for a number of hours playing without moving, and not once have I had to shake my hand to deal with any pains.

The controllers are all very smooth and would definitely be suitable for children or an older person to play with.

One downside I found though, while playing Zelda, is that the D-pad on the left joycon requires you to hold the button down while moving the right control stick. I find this a little difficult to do when you’re in quite a heated combat situation or need to do things quickly.

All in all though, mostly great news in terms of comfort and usability. I will rate the Switch 4/5 for ergonomics because of this.

Issues

So, there actually has been a number of hardware issues with the Switch since release date, and I really think that maybe they should have spent a bit more time or money on quality assurance, but I suppose once you’ve set a date it’d be bad to have to push that back.

My Switch annoyingly came with one of these hardware issues; my left con would not stay connected wirelessly, and needed to be attached to the console itself in order to use. Apparently though since then, Nintendo have fixed these issues.

Luckily I was able to get this sorted fairly quickly and at no expense by taking the joycon and my receipt for the console itself back in to GAME where I bought it, and getting it swapped.

Conclusion

Rated: 4 / 5 overall

Overall, great product. I’ve clocked up a decent number of hours so far, and I’m ready to keep going on that.

If you have a Switch, let me know what you think! From what I’ve heard so far from everybody that I know that has one, it’s only good news.

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4 thoughts on “Caffeine Buzz: First Look at Nintendo Switch”

I haven’t purchased a Switch yet, but the console itself seems very well-built and of a high standard, quality-wise. However, software is just as important as the system it’s played on, and right now, there aren’t a lot of games that make me want to rush out and purchase a Switch.

I’ve heard that from a lot of people. Are you a Zelda fan? It is genuinely worth getting for Zelda, but if you’re not then yeah maybe wait for summer or Christmas to get it when a few more games are out.